Paint brushes, while individually relatively inexpensive, when cumulatively assessed, can be a large expenditure for businesses in the painting field. Proper care of a paint brush can dramatically increase the life of a paint brush, thus significantly reducing the amount of total expenditures.
Additionally, paint brushes are used to apply paint which, by its very nature, is intended to permanently alter the appearance of a surface. At the very least, removing paint from an undesired surface can be a difficult and time intensive task. Even if the brush is cleaned before storing, the brush may be moist with water or a paint solvent which may have undesirable effects on adjacent surfaces. Thus, it is desirable to store a paint brush in a cover when not using it in order to protect these surfaces.
The prior art discloses brush covers made primarily of paper products. The obvious drawback of these covers is that a paint brush can be moist with paint, water, a paint solvent, or a combination of these. This can cause the paper brush covers to deteriorate rapidly and will provide only limited protection to the brush.
There have been previous attempts to solve the foregoing problem. One example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,791,608 to Nielsen et al., discloses a magnetized brush and tool retainer. This cover for paint brushes and tools utilizes magnetic materials to secure a paint brush or other tools in place within the cover. The largest single drawback of the device is that a different sized cover must be chosen depending on the size of brush being used. For instance, based on the fact that front panel 20, as disclosed in that patent, is of a fixed width and is of an equal width of central panel 12, the cover will only be of use for a brush of the same dimensions as the inside dimension of the device. This is obvious as Nielsen discloses seven different dies or outlines in FIG. 6. Additionally, the magnets used to secure the brush or tools in place cause excess weight within the device which is undesirable if numerous paint brushes must be carried. Furthermore, many paint brushes are made of wood, plastic or composite materials to which a magnet is not attracted.
Therefore, what is needed is a paint brush cover which will securely cover desired portions of a paint brush and which is adjustable to fit all sizes of normally available paint brushes. Additionally, a paint brush cover is desired that does not require any magnetic attraction between the cover and the brush. Finally, a paint brush cover is needed that is not only adjustable, but is also durable.